Stupid Granger
by Anrheithwyr
Summary: If there was one thing Su Li hated, it was being helped. She was a Ravenclaw, which meant she was supposed to be smart enough to carry herself in any lesson; she had to be intelligent enough to follow and understand any coursework she was given. She never, ever asked for help, no matter how much she needed it; Su was a Ravenclaw, and Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart...


_**For the 'Summer 2013 Wizarding Modly Forum-Wide Competition of Awesomeness' (Astronomy Challenge, Option B, House Hufflepuff, Wand Currently Being Withheld.) Please, mods, I would like to receive my full score. **_

_**Also written for the 'If You Dare Challenge' by Slytherin Cat, using prompt # 7, green with envy. **_

….

If there was one thing Su Li hated, it was being helped.

She was a Ravenclaw, which meant she was supposed to be smart enough to carry herself in any lesson; she had to be intelligent enough to follow and understand any coursework she was given.

She never, ever asked for help, no matter how much she needed it; Su was a Ravenclaw, and Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart enough to work out their own problems, instead of relying on others to carry them.

Su Li studied all of her course material, even going so far as to study some of the above-level material, knowing that she _had _to be number one in her year; number two wasn't good enough.

Her father had made that clear even as she stepped onto the train her very first year, and Mr. Li's words had resonated in Su's head ever since.

And Su Li _would _have been number one, except for one teensy little problem: Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor Muggleborn.

Granger seemed to score just a _little _higher on every exam, learn spells just a _little _faster, and she did it all with a smug smile on her face that made Su want to smack her.

Hermione Granger was better than Su Li, and it seemed like she wasn't even trying.

It had become a subconscious contest between the two fourth years, who were constantly trying to one up the other every time there was an exam.

Su studied for hours, memorizing entire books of information, only to be handed a 309% whereas Hermione had gotten a 312%.

She _hated _being second best, being anything less than absolutely perfect. Although she would never admit it, Su was green with envy.

As Su walked primly into that evening's Astronomy class, more than a little breathless from having fallen asleep while studying in the library and having to run all the way to class, she noticed that the only seat left was-_of course_-to the left of Granger; the bushy-haired girl sat quietly, doing her work as the two idiots next to her (Potter and one of the Weasleys) goofed around with their own telescope.

This meant that Su was going to have to work with _Granger_, for an entire two hours.

And, _of course, _this just had to be Su's worst class, because Su had never really the sort to look up at the sky; there were more important things on earth for her to focus on.

_Wonderful_, Su thought bitterly to herself. _I'm going to look like such an idiot in front of her. No doubt she'll feel so proud of herself for finally being better than me at something. _

Su was determined to ignore her classmate, even if they _did _need to be working together, and even if she _did _need a lot of help finding the fifth moon of Jupiter, because it was super tiny.

She wasn't going to ask for help, no matter what happened; Ravenclaws didn't ask for help, because Ravenclaws were supposed to be able to solve their own problems.

They had to be smart enough to hold their own, or face the possibility that they _just weren't good enough_.

So, Su struggled through several minutes of peering into the telescope, not speaking to the Gryffindor next to her. She could do this on her own, it wasn't that hard.

_Okay_, it was hard.

A lot harder than she had thought, because Io, as big as it should have been, was teasingly vacant from the sky.

She couldn't seem to locate it, no matter how long she looked, and already, Granger seemed to have found half the damn items on their list.

Su was grumbling with frustration as she thought about just tossing the stupid telescope off the roof, when Granger leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder.

Su gave her a withering glance, but acknowledged the bushy-haired girl's presence.

"Io is over there, Su." She said calmly, pointing upwards, slightly to the left. Su looked into the telescope again, but she didn't see anything but bright spots in the sky, teasing and mocking her. _Idiot_, they jeered. _Can't find Io? Idiot, idiot. _"Here, let me show you," Granger said, moving over to adjust the scope just a bit. She peered into it for a few seconds before looking back at her. "Do you see it now?"

Su peeked into the scope, and scowled, as Io shone brightly down at her, and she expected it to have a leering grin as she balled up her fists.

_Granger was right, again. _

She was never quite good enough, was she? Never perfect enough, never perfect. Just adequate, just number two.

She hated being shown up by Granger, hated having to accept help from the girl.

"Thanks for that," she replied, lying through her teeth.

Stupid Granger, with her know-it-all nature.

Stupid Granger for just being so _damn smart _all the time, even when she didn't study. Stupid Granger for always beating her.

And, watching her smile and continue on in her cheery, helpful manner, it just infuriated Su even more. She was just so _smart_, and so ready to share her knowledge with everyone.

Didn't she understand that to hold knowledge, to be so smart-you had to keep this sort of stuff to yourself, to keep a hold on your peers?

Yet, Granger was still over there, babbling about all the different moons and their names and positions, helping her locate every single one, not seeming to care at all that Su was mad at her.

_That's because she knows she's smarter. _

Why was it that Granger seemed so willing to help?

_Because she is more intelligent than you are; it makes her feel good_.

Though, looking at her, Granger didn't seem to have any secret plans; she looked like a girl happy to give out knowledge.

_Stupid Granger._


End file.
